Officials: All Street Fire Alarm Boxes Out Of Service In Manhattan

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 12: A fire and police emergency box stands in the area where members of Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) held a rally and vigil on the sidewalk near where a 16-year-old boy was shot last Tuesday evening, on January 12, 2013 in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Officials: All Street Fire Alarm Boxes Out Of Service In Manhattan

“We were very close to completing that project when the copper network failed,” Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro told WCBS 880’s Alex Silverman.

The FDNY said only a tiny percentage of calls come from the boxes, and about 90 percent of the ones that do are false alarms.

The past two mayors tried to remove the boxes to save money, but a federal judge said that would discriminate against deaf people.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing should use the “911 tapping protocol,” from a land line: dial 911, wait four seconds, then repeatedly single-tap on mouthpiece of telephone for police assistance; repeatedly double-tap for fire or medical assistance.

Residents are urged to dial 911 to report all emergencies until service to the boxes can be been restored.

For more information on requesting police, fire or medical assistance for people with disabilities, click here